Red helmets for the Arizona Wildcats?

UPDATE: Athletic director Greg Byrne checks in at about 6 p.m. with this tweet: “RED HELMETS – That was a mock-up that we had in the equipment room. At this point, they are not on the radar screen.” ‪

Arizona Wildcats Greg Byrne created quite a buzz when he disclosed recently that the football team would, on occasion, wear copper helmets.

In an interview with coach Rich Rodriguez last week, I asked him about the possibility of red helmets — last worn by Arizona in 1980.

“I’m aware of that as well,” Rodriguez said.

Perhaps more aware than he let on.

Incoming junior college transfer quarterback B.J. Denker (and other players) tweeted a photo of a red Arizona helmet on Sunday afternoon, with the picture quickly making the rounds on the message boards.

Arizona already has choices of blue, white, copper … and now, red?

We’ll see.

As for that copper helmet, Rodriguez said, “I guess I had a hand in it.”

He added: “It was presented to me, and they wanted to know if I would be in favor of it. I said, ‘Sure.’ The copper industry has been important in the state of Arizona, and I thought it was a neat idea, a neat concept.”

Rodriguez said there hasn’t been enough time to change the uniforms for the 2012 season, but that “next year we’ll look at some different types of designs” without tweaking the main color scheme — cardinal and navy — and the block “A” logo.

Rodriguez said he knows that any changes to uniforms becomes a major discussion among fans.

“I think it’s fun and exciting for the fans and players,” he said. “As coaches, we’re worries about getting stops and first downs, but it’s fun to talk about.”